The Foundation for Economic Education (or FEE) is the one of the oldest libertarianthink tanks in the United States. It was founded in 1946 by an American economist influenced by the Austrian school, Henry Hazlitt, Leonard Read of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and David Goodrich of B.F. Goodrich. John Birch Society founder Robert Welch was also a member of its board of trustees. Leonard Read headed FEE until his 1983 death. They are most known for their print and online magazines, The Freeman and The Freeman Online.

There also seems to be a somewhat incestuous relationship between FEE and the Ludwig von Mises Institute, which should come as no surprise, although the Mises Institute is largely anarcho-capitalist while FEE has long taken a minimal-government position. Under Leonard Read's watch, FEE was an early promoter of both Ayn Rand and Murray Rothbard, but he was taken aback by both Rand's atheism[5] and by the anarchism of Rothbard and others as early as the 1950s. His 1954 book Government — An Ideal Concept was a rebuttal against anarcho-capitalism. More recently FEE's invitation of Rudy Giuliani to be their keynote speaker at their annual 2002 banquet led to a revolt by FEE's trustees against then-president Mark Skousen who was asked to resign by trustees not pleased with the choice of Giuliani.

FEE is headquartered in a sizable mansion in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York and used to be known for sending free and low-cost books on request. Their most widely circulated books include an English translation of Frederic Bastiat's 1850 book The Law, Henry Weaver's 1947 The Mainspring of Human Progress, and Leonard Read's essay I, Pencil. The latter describes in great detail how the manufacture of the lowly pencil is the result of many different sources that can only work in synergy under a free market.

There would be no tigers in zoos if they remained as ferocious as when first captured There never would have been any Negro slavery in the United States had the Negroes remained as intractable as when first taken from their African habitat. But, like the tigers, most of them soon lost consciousness of a freedom greater than the enslavement into which they were plunged. They became accustomed to their lot and, for the most part, accepted it.[6]

Is not this opinion clearly discriminatory against the Negro race? It is, beyond question, based on the idea that the exclusive company of Negroes in school is somehow lacking in educational opportunity.[7]

There is something about encountering homosexuality in its militant and pugnacious form that touches a deep, almost reflexive anger, even among most heterosexual liberals. That is why attempts at “mainstreaming” gay culture, even when holding an olive branch, are bound to fail.[8]

They are still against women's lib, but their older articles are funnier than newer ones.

Given the opportunity of serving under a woman holding a B.A. or a man holding a B.A., most women, I think it is safe to say, would choose the man (assuming similar personalities and competence of the competing candidates). If the men of a corporation had the choice, an even larger percentage would be likely to prefer mascu­line superiors. This is a fact of life, unlikely to change in the near future.[9]

FEE believed that protesting against the Vietnam War was equal to violence.

Violence is too common for mention. One need only glance at the newspaper head­lines to realize that the seeds of revolution are being sown through­out the country today. The assault on a single day last April of 185,­000 demonstrators against the Vietnam War with displays of hatred for our country and con­tempt for its laws and institutions is example enough.[10]